As they walked towards Cushion's tiny office Ahmed turned to Flint
'Have you any idea what that was all about?'
'No' responded Flint, 'you will have to tell me more about Rafique Khan'.
'Over dinner perhaps' the other threw out semi seriously but with a hint of hope.
'Ok' came the coquettish response as she fingered her hair
'Friday?' the immediate response.
'No, I'm going back to London to see my kids'
'Thursday?' hope beginning to disappear.
'You're on, let's get started on our tasks. John is fine as long as you do the job'
He noted her use of Blunt's first name and resolved to ask about the rumours and Khan's comment.
When they got to Cushion's office they found Leibnitz already hitting the phones and in mid-flow to the fire department's investigator.
'Yes I appreciate that you have only just got back from the fire- scene BUT if we are to catch who did it we need answers quickly.......yes I appreciate there are only so many hours in a day......yes I appreciate that it takes time for forensic tests......many thanks that's much appreciated'
Mrs Fletcher's telephone number popped into Blunt's head unbidden. He automatically dialled the number. Surely she could not still live at the same address and have the same number, apart from code changes, after all these years.
Remarkably Mrs Fletcher answered the phone fairly quickly. He recognized her voice although it sounded decidedly older and much shakier. Stunned for the moment he said nothing,
'Hello, Hello is anyone there?' the voice became a little concerned
'Mrs Fletcher?'
'John, John Blunt is it you?
'yes'
'I have been expecting your call for years. I almost called you but then the news said that you were being investigated over irregularities in some of the things you did to bring those awful people to justice'
'I have toyed with the idea for years but each time I stopped because the pain became too much'
'I understand' she said gently, 'you probably want to talk about Anjii'
'Yes, I do but I also want to ask you what you know about Rafique Khan'
He heard a slight intake of breath at the other end and he waited for her silence to end
'Ok I'll tell you what I know BUT and I emphasise BUT I will never state what I have to say publicly. Most of it is conjecture and what my brother and Anjii had to say.' She paused again, 'John I must ask you whether you are speaking to me as Anjii's boyfriend or as John Blunt the policeman?
'Mrs Fletcher...'
'Please call me Robyn. It is the anglicized version of my name'
'Ok, I am talking to you as both BUT and I also emphasise BUT your name will never come up in anything or anywhere'
'Thank you. I am getting old and I have a weak heart that they tell me may give up at any time. So I wouldn't like to spend the last of my days either in a courtroom or looking over my shoulder expecting the Khans or one of their troglodytes to tap me on the shoulder'
'I appreciate that. Tell me about Anjii'
'I only got to see her a few times over the years but my brother and sister in law were distraught about what was happening. He wished he had never agreed to the marriage and had let the Khans do their worst. He believed that they would all have been much happier, although poorer. As time went by and he saw the torture that Anjii was experiencing he began to look more and more haggard'
'What do you mean torture?' Blunt questioned through gritted teeth, 'What did he do to harm her?'
'Rafique did not abuse her physically. He abused her mentally because she would not bend to his wishes apart from marrying him. She would not give him a child. He sent her away to a mental institution in Pakistan for a couple of years. She lost weight and became skeletal and gaunt. She developed all sorts of respiratory and intestinal problems. No doubt a great deal of it caused by the stress of the situation. She also worried about her father because his health began to rapidly deteriorate. In the end a couple of years ago he committed suicide. Anjii was distraught and began to lose even more weight. Khan goaded her about how she had lost her looks, how you despised her and how he took comfort from real Muslim women'
'The bastard!' Blunt exploded
'Her mother was lost without my brother and came to live with me. She converted to Christianity and I like to think it gave her a measure of comfort. However, I saw her melt away. She hardly ate and then at the beginning of last year she went to sleep and didn't wake up. I saw Anjii at the funeral and Khan allowed her to come to the little party that I gave afterwards. We managed to have a chat'
'How did she look?'
'A mess. She told me to tell you that she had always and would always love you. She gave me the letter and instructed me to get it to you when she had died. I asked her what she meant and she told me. I tried to argue with her to no avail'
'Why did she not go to a women's refuge and get hold of me'
'John. John you're meant to be a policeman don't be so naive. You know as well as I do what happens to Muslim women that go into those places. You know that within twenty four hours the place is surrounded by Asian men and even women looking to 'liberate' their own kind. Windows are smashed, fires are set and the buildings are stormed. Some of the poor women then disappear, forever. You know as well as I do that these things happen all over the country where there is a significant Muslim population. And it is never reported!'
Blunt signified his agreement with a quick 'yes'.
'You know that Anjii would never have even got anywhere near one of those places. And anyway when she came to the funeral she had two of Khan's goons with her. It was a miracle they allowed her to go into another room with me'
'Why did she not contact me or get you to contact me?'
'She thought that you would never forgive her and that you would hold her to blame for you being sent down. And don't forget Khan had convinced her that you hated her. She also hated herself for how she looked. What you don't understand John is that for a great deal of the time she couldn't think straight and from what my brother told me she drifted in and out of lucidity'
Despite his heart thumping and his mind now in a total state of turmoil he now wanted to know more about the things that Anjii had alluded to in her letter.
'In her letter she said that Khan's public and private personae were at odds. What did she mean by that?'
'You know that Rafique became involved with the defence of the Bradford Eight as they were known?
'Yes, it helped make his name as a barrister' responded Blunt.
'True BUT it brought him into contact with the radical Muslim element and their Imams in the mosques. When the Russians invaded Afghanistan Rafique went to Pakistan to visit his family. When he returned he persuaded his father to insist that all their customers paid money towards a fund to help the faithful fight the infidel. He also set up a collection procedure at all the mosques. People were shamed into giving money. My brother said that he had heard that people who showed dissent or did not give were put in purdah, I mean the English not the Muslim sense of the word'
'Anything else happen to them?'
'Yes, I believe that some of them were beaten up'
'Instigated by Khan?' enquired Blunt
'I couldn't possibly say. BUT don't forget he implemented this with his extremist friends. In the mosques calls went out for volunteers to go to Pakistan to train to fight with the Mujahedeen. Many did. Sometime in the early eighties he went to one of these camps. He came across a man that entranced him. A man that acted as a paymaster for the cause and apparently possessed of great courage. In addition he also possessed phenomenal organisational and administrative skills. He came from a wealthy Saudi family and also contributed his own money to the cause'
'What is his name?' interjected Blunt
'I think his name is Osama Bin Laden'
'Never heard of him' said Blunt
'Neither have I 'responded Robyn 'but he was considered important enough for Rafique to meet him in London with his brother in 1986 to discuss arms purchases for the Mujahedeen. He bragged to Anjii that he had become part of the establishment. Not long afterwards he stood for a safe Labour seat'
Blunt remembered seeing something on the news about the incumbent Asian MP standing down to spend more time with his family.
Whilst Blunt talked with Robyn Fletcher, Ahmed and Cushion quickly got onto the photofit guy and shot down to the basement where he resided. They went through the paraphernalia of being shown a myriad, noses, ears, eyes lips, skin shades etc. Finally after an hour he had come up with Ahmed's version of the Patel in the shop. After another half an hour he had come up with a photofit for the girl. Cushion took half the time, probably because the guy already had a template of sorts to work from.
Ahmed dragged a protesting photofit guy up to Blunt's office. The man winged about it being past his 'finish' time. Ahmed witheringly threw at him that they were trying to find the people responsible for the horrific death of two small children as well as two adults. How would he feel if it were his children and no-one could be bothered to make a little extra effort. That shut the guy up.
He knocked on Blunt's door and entered as bidden. God the guy looked a mess. He looked as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders? He wondered what the hell linked him and Rafique Khan. He consoled himself with thinking that he would find out soon enough.
Thirty minutes later Blunt had finished and the photofit guy went off to produce a composite of the three views. Half an hour later Ahmed put a copy on Blunt's desk
Blunt looked at Ahmed
'Get this out to the media....and include the national media this time. I want to know what those two bastards were doing with the Patels and what they were doing generally!'
'Ok. I'll get onto it right away' responded Saeed starting to turn away.
'No wait' came a sharp retort from Blunt
He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with the thumb and forefinger of his right hand, his left drummed the desk.
'No, do not do the nationals just yet. Get hold of Rafique and tell him that we are thinking of going to the nationals. Ask him to make an announcement as well. A direct appeal to the Asian community and the mosques. A good multi-culturist he should not have a problem with that!'
Blunt looked at his watch
'It is late and it has been a long day for us all. No doubt there will be many more long days before we get to the bottom of this. You and the team better knock off. Get some rest. I will see you in the morning'
'I want to get this out to the local press. AND then I want to get hold of Khan.'
'Ok tell the others to knock off'
'They're staying late to get as much done tonight as possible'
'Jesus,' retorted Blunt 'We have no overtime budget!'
'That's ok boss. None of us are going to claim it. We just want to get this business sorted. The same as you'
Blunt wearily shook his head as Saeed left the room.
Simultaneously to Blunt and Saeed going about their business Flint and Leibnitz had been far from idle. They had decided that once they had a photofit picture it would be a good idea to go around all the Asian shops, takeaways, restaurants and taxi firms in the city. However, they had first of all had to get a list of the same. Leibnitz suggested that they contact the council rates department and pester them for the names of the such businesses. The employee at the other end of the line informed them that home time was fast approaching. They used the same tactic as Ahmed to shame her into helping them.
She tried to wriggle out of helping them more than necessary when she advised that the names would only take them so far. Many businesses that were Asian owned kept the original English names; takeaways and restaurant's mostly the exception. Flint then stated that proprietors resided at the premises, or at least some of their relatives did. Surely, for the sake of two small children the woman could run a programme that put the residents to the addresses. The council employee grudgingly acquiesced. They had their list.
They split the list three ways when Steve Cushion returned from the photofit session and steadily worked through it. They were coming to the end when Ahmed came in.
Flint explained what they had come up with and asked whether they should make a start on some of the establishments. Saeed checked his watch and said that they had all better call it a day. They could start on it in the morning.
When they had all gone he rang Khan on the number he had been given, a mobile. It went straight into answer mode. He left a message. Within five minutes Khan came on the line.
'Well Saeed what have you got for me' Khan purred, 'I haven't got too long we are in session'
'Not much. Blunt has got a photofit of two of our people who may have burnt down a newsagents here in Norwich. He is wanting to go national with it tonight!'
He heard the laboured breathing at the other end of the line. Then Khan responded
'Hold it back as long as you can. I'm not bothered what excuses you use. You know as well as I do that something like this could have race relations implications. You know as well as I do that some of the more hot-headed elements in our community see racism in the most strange of places'
Saeed had to hand it to the oily bastard. The usual platitudes and political spin were coming out ten to the dozen. He obviously did not want this to go national and why not?
The policeman could not help now throwing in Blunt's suggestion.
'Mr Khan I have way in which we can potentially defuse such a possibility and enhance your reputation as a peacemaker and a multiculturalist.'
'And what is that?' a cautious response from Khan.
'Well sir why don't you make a direct appeal on TV and radio tonight or tomorrow morning asking our people to come forward if they know or have seen either of the people we wish to question as part of our enquiries'
'Don't get clever Saeed. Don't say a word to Blunt about what you have just suggested. Keep me informed' came the pithy response followed by the phone being cut off.
'Goodbye to you too' Ahmed said to himself.
He returned to Blunt's office and let him know about the rest of the team and more importantly his conversation with Khan.
'Do you think he will make an announcement?' he asked his boss
'Hard to say' responded Blunt
'Sir, I think you have something you're not telling us all. I also think that you have something up your sleeve. It would be good if you could tell us. It would be good if you would trust us'
'I'll tell you tomorrow. Go back to your hotel and get some rest'